The First Hawaiian Renaissance had its foundation in the nationalism sentiments of King Kamehameha V. At the time Hawaii was an independent kingdom. The intention was to form a contemporary national identity rather than modeling Hawaii after Great Britain and the Culture of the United States. King Kalākaua had a controversial rise to power which included an election riot upon public awareness of the results. His formal coronation under foreign military security gave the impression he took power by force rather than popularity.
Kalākaua took steps to perpetuate nationalism. Kalākaua replaced the considerably Christian national anthem He Mele Lahui Hawaii with Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī in 1876 inspired by Kamehameha I. He had the aged ʻIolani Palace rebuilt starting in 1879 and finishing in 1882.
Despite early efforts to earn favor with his people, growing views he was abandoning his people continued, Kalākaua intended to re-invent himself worthy as a ruler.
Kalākaua spent three years planning his second coronation in 1883 to erase the impression given by his first, and 8,000 people attended. Kalakaua sponsored several traditional Hawaiian practices such as hula, chants, sports, and royal rituals. He also had Hawaiian myths, legends, and chants recorded in media such as the Kumulipo and had his genealogy traced.
Read more about this topic: Hawaiian Renaissance
Famous quotes containing the word renaissance:
“People nowadays like to be together not in the old-fashioned way of, say, mingling on the piazza of an Italian Renaissance city, but, instead, huddled together in traffic jams, bus queues, on escalators and so on. It’s a new kind of togetherness which may seem totally alien, but it’s the togetherness of modern technology.”
—J.G. (James Graham)